Farmer Field Schools

ADDA in Vietnam

ADDA Vietnam Projects • • • • • •

The IPM Project (1998 - 2005). The Organic project (2004-2012) The Community Dev Project (2006 – 2014) The Legal Aid project (2008-2014) More Trees (subcont. by DFE 2010 - 2013) Community Based Farmer Groups, Tanzania (2009 – 2015)

Approach 1. Establish a team of facilitators, incl. training (ToT) 2. Conduct season long training (FFS) 3. Establish Interest Groups among the FFS graduate (only interested people participate)

Approach •

The preferred approach is to create a team of locally based and known facilitators who speaks the local language and Kinh

Approach •

Then provide technical training to farmers through participatory training methodologies (Farmer Field Schools)

Approach •

The Farmer Field School training provides the farmers with technical knowledge which usually enable the farmers to increase their income significantly

Approach • and it also clearly display the advantages of collaboration to the participants. • Therefore the farmers like to form the “Farmer Interest Groups”

Basic Principles of FFS • The farmers are participating in weekly meetings during a full cropping season. • They learn important ecological principles by managing learning plots and experiments themselves. • 30 farmers form an FFS that is facilitated by two trainers. The discussion between farmers is the pulling force in FFS

Basic Principles of FFS • The FFS approach uses discovery based learning methods to improve the farmers' agro-ecological knowledge. • Each FFS has one IPM plot managed by the participants, one experimental plot and one plot cultivated in the way normally used by farmers. • The farmers will observe the biology through AESA, and make drawings of their findings. No books are used

Agro-eco-system-analysis

10

Agro-eco-system-analysis

Thai FFS (Dien Bien)

H’mong FFS (Lai Chau)

The Community Development Project • Target group: Ethnic minorities • Implemented in 6 provinces (Dien Bien, Lai Chau, Son La, Hoa Binh, Nghe An and Ha Tinh)

• Local team of facilitators (72+36) • Farmer Field Schools (Maize, vegetables, and Climate Change) (500 +300 +300) • Community development groups (300+250)

FFS field

Impact on Maize Farms Yield /ha (kg)

Output (1.000 VND)

Input ( 1.000 VND)

Profit (1.000 VND)

% Net profit incr.

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Son La

6.140

7.468

19.083

24.675

2.904

5.414

15.179

19.260

27

Lai Chau

4.128

5.317

15.675

22.350

2.820

4.321

12.854

18.029

40

Hoa Binh

3.923

5.469

12.863

20.615

2.737

6.229

10126

14.385

42

Dien Bien

4.363

5.590

15.644

22.055

2.766

4.777

12.878

17.278

34

Nghe An

3.199

5.734

10.759

24.144

3.894

6.846

6.865

17.298

152

Ha Tinh

1.651

3.144

6.295

16.034

3.485

7.170

2.809

8.864

216

300 HH

3.901

5.454

13.387

21.646

3.268

5.793

10.118

15.852

57

Maize FFS • Farmers who have participated in a maize FFS have improved the income from maize cultivation with 40 % on average.

17

Maize FFS • 40% increase of net income for 15,000 trained farmers, • 1,245 kg extra / 0,6 ha maize field). • Net profit is 3,145,000 VND / farmer. • In one year this is 2,625,000 USD • Total costs of project is 2,168,000 USD over the 4 years. 18

Maize FFS • Farmers who have participated in a FFS have improved their collaborative skills • The FFS are very useful as a tool for sustainable group formation

19

Group establishment

Group dynamic

Creating the “group feeling” through FFS 3-4 months

Consolidating the group App. 6 months

Success or failure

Time

20

Income generating activities • • • • • • • • •

Production planning Contract negotiation Production cost reduction Common production Service deliveries Organise credit Procurements Marketing Take over parts of the value chain 21

Chicken group in Lai Chau

Tooth pick group, Hoa Binh

Community Development • The final step of project approach is when the groups are taking the lead for community development activities • Only possible in close cooperation with the FU and the local authorities

24

Group activities Number of groups

Activities

90

Maize production, procurement and sales

81

Pig fattening - raising pigs

29

Chicken raisers -meet production and broilers

24

Pig breeding groups – selling piglets Producers of other crops (peanut, rice, sugarcane, cana Producers of other livestock (Buffalo, cattle, fish, bees)

19 16

Vegetable production

9

Duck and other poultry production Handicraft and processing (weaving, toothpicks, cassava )

20

5 Total

293

Group C.D. activities Province Dien Bien

No C.D. activities

Total Budget

Local funds

Project funds

1

Drinking water supply

75

30

45

2

Garbage collection and treatment

72

9

61

1

Water supply

100

59

41

3

Irrigation trenches

252

157

95

Ha Tinh

2

Road construction

146

66

80

Hoa Binh

1

Drinking water supply

41

13

28

2

Road construction

132

61

71

1

Irrigation trenches

59

31

28

3

Road construction

239

145

94

1

Bridge construction

37

24

13

1155

599

556

Lai Chau

Nghe An

Son La Total

17

Community road

Conclusions on Groups • The groups need to embark on business opportunities and income generating activities • The groups can serve as vehicles for organising other community development activities provided that external funding is available

28

End of presentation

Thank you